The Summer I Turned Pretty: The 2022 Version of a Hot Girl Summer
Graphic by Ailani Wong
The TV show adaptation of Jenny Han’s book, “The Summer I Turned Pretty” has taken the internet by storm, and is increasingly becoming a coming-of-age favorite. With countless pop-culture references, (extremely) attractive cast members, moody music, hazy photographs, and an overall feeling of warmth, the show’s irresistible summer romance is becoming everyone’s ideal end-of-year vacation. To put it simply, the show is a picturesque painting of coming-of-age, wrapped in a very moderate romance.
The official Prime Video poster for The Summer I Turned Pretty. From left, Conrad Fisher played by Christopher Brinely, Belly Conklin played by Lola Tung, and Jeremiah Fisher played by Gavin Casalegno. (Source: IMBD)
The sun-dipped show follows the story of Isabel “Belly” Connklin (Lola Tung), who is caught in a typical teenage love triangle between two brothers, Conrad Fisher (Christopher Briney) and Jeremiah FIsher (Gavin Casalegno), with a desperate wish to have the most perfect summer. Although the storyline is no short of on-point dialogues, unpredictable twists, and cutesy chemistry, it is tough to argue that the relationship drama appears to be slightly undercooked. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely loved how refreshing this show felt with its adorable characters, pop-culture-infused soundtrack, and eye-catching summer outfits. However, the show still bugs me with the way so many scenes are left hanging by a thread, due to the less than apt way in which they are carried out. There are so many characters that the viewers would love to know more about, like what happens with Cam (David Iacono) post his break-up with Belly, or what happens to Belly’s best friend, Taylor (Rain Spencer) after leaving to Cousins. It would’ve also been interesting to see more moments higlighting of Belly’s brother, Steven (Sean Kaufman) and his relationship with Shalya (Minnie Mills). Some of the scenes had no justification for why they are the way they are, and there were many instances where I felt that the show could have been turned up a notch.
Having said that, I do feel that the show does a splendid job at becoming the next comfort show for us viewers with all its fluffy content. The show strives to capture the feeling of first love. That feeling where time stops for just a second, as you look at that one person you have looked at so many times before. But this time, it hits differently. This time it’s love. The great attention to detail and multitudes of flashbacks makes the show feel like a warm, familiar hug at the end of the day.
Something I greatly enjoyed about the series was the fact that irrespective of being a teen romance-focused show, “The Summer I Turned Pretty'' does not shy away from being a major tear-jerker. When it comes to these light-hearted and wholesome shows, I don’t expect them to take a sudden turn that leaves me in a puddle of tears. However, this one surely checks all the boxes. Not to hint too much at spoilers (if you haven’t already watched the show), but the story takes an emotionally heavy turn towards the end, leaving the viewers with a lot to ponder upon, in a whisp of, “Whoa, I did not see that coming.”
Last year, we saw Hot Girl Summer trending across all social media platforms. We were drowning in Instagram Reels about how to have the perfect Hot Girl Summer with tanning tricks and summery workouts, smoothie bowls, and bikini posts. However, this year, it is safe to say that this summer’s trend was to ‘Turn Pretty’. The perfect alignment of the show’s release date with the exact start of summer has led to it becoming the new ideal teenage summer — which was probably the goal! When comparing the two trends, Hot Girl Summer emphasized becoming the best version of ourselves, while a TSITP-inspired summer seems to be more focused on having an unforgettable summer, like going on night swims, having summer flings, and partying with friends. In my opinion, Belly’s drama-infused vacation had surely makes for an iconic one.
To put it simply, I would describe “The Summer I Turned Pretty” as a daydream. Everything from the story to the aesthetics was beautiful, dreamy, and sun-kissed. It was imperfect but comfortable, and a fresh reminder to get out of your house and go have some fun. The show preaches the repetitive, yet true notion of YOLO (You Only Live Once). I hope Belly inspired some of us to have a Pretty summer this year — maybe without the love triangles!
Editor’s Note: This article was originally written in July/August and was edited to reflect time change. We hope you had a wonderful summer. For our friends in the Southern Hemisphere, we hope to see your take inspo from TSITP when planning your upcoming summer vacation.
